


i know for sure the sky ain't perfect

by astraternal



Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Lowercase, M/M, Prom, but its okay !!, this is.. bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24231337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astraternal/pseuds/astraternal
Summary: kai doesn’t have many friends at school. he has people he talks to occasionally, like the nerds in his math class who read the same manga he does, or the guys in gym who throw balls at his head and then try to play it off as some joke.mira and adam though, he thinks they might be the closest thing to “friends” he’s had since kindergarten.
Relationships: Adam & Kai & Mira (The Hollow), Adam/Kai (The Hollow), Mira/Vanessa (The Hollow)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 172





	i know for sure the sky ain't perfect

**Author's Note:**

  * For [matsuhanasss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/matsuhanasss/gifts).
  * Inspired by [love left on my tongue](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24213793) by [matsuhanasss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/matsuhanasss/pseuds/matsuhanasss). 



> title is from breakfast by brockhampton <3  
> also this is really bad but i wrote it in a single night also it is heavily inspired by [this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24213793) fic so please go check that one out because i love it with all my heart it is so pretty!! this is just plotless and messy.. a headache.

i.

there’s a lake near kai’s house, small and quiet, that he tends to go to whenever his house gets too much. when the yelling makes his heart race, and even his silly cartoons can’t block it out. 

the water is surrounded by trees, but sometimes the sunlight will peer through and shine on his freckles, his red hair. it’s calming, grounds him when the boat he calls life to starts to rock.

one time he jumped in forgetting he didn’t bring spare clothes, and twelve year old kai had to walk to the shop a few roads down and stand outside the door while the owner grabbed him some pants and a shirt. 

nice old lady.

ii.

kai doesn’t have many friends at school. he has people he talks to occasionally, like the nerds in his math class who read the same manga he does, or the guys in gym who throw balls at his head and then try to play it off as some joke. 

mira and adam though, he thinks they might be the closest thing to “friends” he’s had since kindergarten. 

iii.

kai's mom sits with him at the kitchen table one night, light dim with candles on the counter. it smells like vanilla. if the scent is supposed to be comforting, it isn't.

"you used to talk so often. you used to _smile_ so often. what happened?" 

there are bags under her eyes, dried tears that show with the non-waterproof mascara. kai had bought it for her as a gift once, not knowing the difference. her eyes glistened regardless, and she gave him a hug so tight he was scared she'd start crying.

he's still scared of that right now.

kai can't come up with an answer. he's racking through his brain, like going through flash cards, each answer somehow worse than the last.

he settles for a simple, _i don't know._

her mouth presses into a thin line, but she leaves it at that.

iv.

"what do you guys think happens after death?" 

kai had called adam and mira earlier about the lake near his house, about how it was quiet and empty and if they weren't busy, they could go and hang out. 

he's never hung out with anyone before. he's trying to take steps.

mira sits with one leg dangling in the water, and her chin rests on the other. she's sitting on the big rock, and looks like a goddess above them.

adam shrugs his shoulders. "i don't like to think about it. why?" 

mira shakes her head. "there's just been this… like… nagging in my brain? we graduate soon, and then it's off to adulthood. we practically _are_ adults! and then we die!" her hands do this movement through the air. she does it often when she talks, kai finds it amusing.

"i'm sure we'll be adults for a long time before we have to think about that, mira." adam gets up, starts walking back toward the water. kai is still laying on his towel, and he really doesn't plan on getting up anytime soon. 

"but it still doesn't scare you? the thought of nothing?" 

"the way i see it is--" adam floats on his back and stares at the trees. "you can be afraid of the inevitable your whole life, or, you can enjoy life while you're experiencing it. where's the fun in being terrified for the next 60 years?"

kai looks up at mira, expecting some sort of understanding on her face, but instead she's looking at her phone. 

"vanessa is calling me. later losers! i'll see you at the football game tomorrow." she gives a salute before grabbing her shoes, along with her towel, and heading off.

adam scoffs. "she never listens to me."

kai just shrugs and plays with the string on his trunks. 

he's alone with adam now. it's… nerve-wracking, to say the least.

he can talk with mira. it's easy. she's like a sister to him, and the warmth that she radiates makes it hard to be nervous around her.

adam, though. adam is funny, kind, and doesn't let anyone make fun of kai while he's around. it's hard to talk to someone like that, someone he feels he doesn't deserve. someone who has the whole school in love with him, yet still decides to hang out with the quiet crowd.

"you're not coming back in? looking lonely out there." adam is still floating in the water, his eyes closed. kai thinks he looks beautiful.

"yeah, sure."

v.

adam finds kai by the bleachers, saving him and mira a seat. the game hasn't started yet, nothing but some cheerleaders on the field practicing their chants.

"hey!" adam is wearing the school hoodie. kai really hated how the colors orange and green mixed until tonight, it seems.

"hi adam." his voice wavers a bit, but the crowd is too loud for anyone to notice.

"is mira here yet?"

kai shakes his head. "she told me she was getting snacks."

adam nods. "good. i wanted to ask you something." he starts to drum his fingers against the seat. "will you be my prom date?"

kai doesn't think he heard that right. he's tempted to look behind him, see if adam was having a conversation with someone else the whole time.

"i'm sorry, i know it's last minute, but, i asked mira if she could come with me, you know, as friends. but then vanessa asked her out, so now i'm stuck dateless. it's senior year, man. i don't wanna miss this."

in reality, kai never thought he would ever be able to go to prom. 

he's seen the movies, heard the tales his sister told him when he was a kid. her pink dress, curled hair. 

he remembers sitting on her bed as a nine year old while she giggled about the kiss michael goodman gave her in his truck. 

so of course, he says yes.

vi.

kai asks his mom if he can have $100.

her boyfriend glares at him from the couch, but she doesn't say no, always so eager to please her son. part of him feels bad, because if he told her it was for a tux he doesn't doubt she'd give him more, but then they would need to have talks about who he's going with, which would lead to more personal details, and that's something he just doesn't have the energy for these days.

he calls mira and asks if he can borrow her truck. she says no, because _i'm not trusting you with my truck, kai. you've broken enough things in front of my eyes,_ but still offers to drive him to where he needs to go.

they decide it's best to go to the town next to theirs, the one that has fancier shops with better clothes and more options.

he stands at the racks for ages, staring at each one, as if the suits are going to talk to him and say _pick me! pick me!_

after one of the workers comes up to him several times to ask if he needs help, mira pops out with, "they all look the same, kai! close your eyes, grab one, and let's go!" 

he huffs, but eventually _does_ end up grabbing one at random and walking to the register. he tries to ignore the regret eating at his chest.

vii.

kai leaves the lake again, his nerves eating away at him.

his feet take him to the shop before he even realizes it. he walks through the doors, and the smell of cinnamon hits him like a freight train. 

"kai jenkins… everytime i see you, you're more sunburnt each time. i should just start calling you tomato head." mrs. little's laugh gives kai more comfort than he can even describe. 

"what brings you here today? i ordered some more of those chips you like, they were very hard to find. i have them in the back, wait a second." she steps off of the stool behind the counter and opens the door behind her. 

it feels good to be remembered like that.

she steps back out after a moment holding two bags. "here. i actually tried them the other day, and never in a million years would i have thought that i would like plantain chips. my husband is rolling in his grave!" 

kai smiles. "what can i say, i have good taste." 

mrs. little chuckles. "you're right about that one."

he leaves the store feeling much lighter, somehow.

viii.

kai doesn't know how to tie a tie. 

he's been watching youtube tutorials, _staring_ at them, in fact. but there's just too many twists and turns and he's confused the more he watches.

his mom would know the steps. but she's in vegas for the week, celebrating her boyfriend's birthday. she wouldn't have gone had she known kai was going to prom, _("he'll have a lot of birthdays! you only have one prom!")_ but kai didn't want that guilt with him, and it's too late to think about it now.

so, he keeps watching the same videos, over and over as his stress levels rise, until there's a knock at the door.

adam stands on the welcome mat, looking somehow more beautiful than he usually does, with a smile so soft kai could melt in it.

"ready?" adam asks.

kai points to his tie. "i'm really bad at this part."

adam giggles softly ( _why is he so soft?)_ and starts to tie it. he's close enough so that kai can see him, like, _really_ see him.

he's breathtaking.

"adam." kai's lips are moving without his permission. "is this… a _friend_ date or… something else?" _why is his voice so high pitched?_

adam finishes tying, then says, "what do you want it to be?"

kai doesn't have an answer for that. "what do _you_ want it to be?" he's getting nervous again.

adam just shakes his head, and takes kai's hand into his own. "come on."

ix.

it’s nice, kai decides. prom isn’t as drama filled as the movies, but he can see mira laughing with vanessa by the drink station, and adam is by his side, whispering stupid jokes that make them both laugh.

at the end of the night, adam kisses him under the flickering light of kai’s house, soft and quiet. kai thinks it’s a good end to his senior year.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if u read all that.. apologies and thank u


End file.
